A cymbal is a percussion instrument from the idiophone classification that produces sound by being shaken, struck or rubbed. When a cymbal is vibrating, many frequencies of sound are produced, which in aggregate comprise the timbre of a cymbal. The high frequencies of a cymbal are most prominent and are the partials that give a cymbal its projection and “presence,” but there are instances when projection is undesirable. These instances may include but are not limited to live or recorded acoustic performances in venues that naturally amplify certain frequencies. Often, these are venues that were not designed specifically for the playing of live music. There is also a midrange of frequencies that are common frequencies for voices, where strong drum frequencies are undesirable.
Typical solutions to reduce projection would be to mechanically alter a cymbal by placing an external mute or other device on it, but the resulting sound would be reduced in all partials as well as overall volume and sustain that the cymbal would naturally produce. Because mechanical devices inhibit overall vibrations, the reaction of an implement, such as a drum stick, is affected which in turn causes the percussionist to alter how the implement is put into motion. These physical changes made by the percussionist to compensate for changes of the playing surface result in undesired changes in rhythm.
It is also known to reduce the volume of a cymbal by piercing holes or apertures through the cymbal. However, these solutions are designed to reduce the volume or amplitude across all frequencies.